?“Uh, yeah, you will. Your loyalties aren’t with me.”
?He fell silent then, and it disappointed me he didn’t even attempt to coax anything else out of me. I wanted to tell him just to gauge his reaction.
?Fuck it.
?“It was with Jett,” I declared.
?Gabe’s head snapped up to mine, his blue eyes wide as he frowned at me. He stopped, turning to face me as I chewed on my hair nervously. It was a shitty habit, but I could have worse ones.
?“Why? You could haveanyone, Summer. Why go for head-fucks like Jett and fuckingJT?”
?Ooh. It looks like I hit a nerve.
?“I could haveanyone?” I scoffed.
?He nodded. “Yeah. But none of them wouldeverbe good enough for you.”
?I cocked my head to the side, unsure of how to take that.
?Did he mean I had impossibly high standards, or did he mean he didn’t think they’d be good enough?I tried to tap into my brave-o-meter and dared to ask.
?“Is that you or my brother speaking?” I clicked my tongue as he stared at me, making me wonder if a bird had shat on my head while I wasn’t looking. “What? Why are you staring at me like that?” I bounced on my feet, feeling so nervous I couldn’t help but move.
?Nervous energy, that’s it.
?He put a hand on my shoulder and pushed down gently, raising an eyebrow as I became still beneath his touch.
?“Why are you so nervous?” he asked quietly. I shrugged, refusing to trust my voice to answer without exposing how I really felt. Which was extra tricky, considering I didn’t know myself. I shifted from one foot to the other as he watched me suspiciously.
?“Are you on drugs?” he sighed, tilting my chin up to look in my eyes.
?“Of course not, howrude, Gabriel.” ?
He paused, his face close to mine, and I felt myself go giddy from his proximity. “I love it when you say my full name,”’ he confessed, and that was it.
?I wanted him to kiss me so badly I leaned forward, on tiptoes and everything. The blood rushed in my ears as he lowered his lips to my head, letting them brush against my skin softly.
?“Let’s get you home.” He pulled back, but I ran up to him, lacing my fingers through his. Saying nothing, he squeezed my hand, pulling me closer to him. He raised my hand to his lips, kissing it softly. We didn’t say another word until we walked back into the house, my Dad’s snores rumbling through the house. I glanced down at our entwined hands.
?“Stay,” I breathed out as he stiffened beside me. I didn’t wait for an answer, pulling him up the stairs wordlessly. He followed me but stilled when we reached the top of the hallway.
?“Sleep beside me,” I whispered.
?I didn’t care about Kennedy or my brother. All I wanted was to keep this feeling going as long as possible, at whatever cost.
?Searching my eyes, he chewed on his lip. “Okay,” he murmured, following me into my room. Gabe kicked off his trainers as I changed in front of him, leaving on my underwear. I felt a pang of disappointment when he averted his eyes.
Did he really see me as a sister?
?Pulling on a long t-shirt, I climbed into bed, opening the duvet for him to join me.
He got into bed fully clothed, one of his legs sticking out over the duvet. I wriggled against him until he moved his arm so that I could snuggle there. A feeling of complete calm fell over me as I rested my hand on his chest, aware he was breathing rapidly.
?“Can I ask you something?” I whispered, and he nodded in response.
?“How do you know Kennedy is right for you?”
?He sucked in a breath, and I heard his heart rate increase, banging away beneath me. I wanted to soothe him but didn’t know how to.
